For the propagation of plants either starting from seeds or from cuttings it is well-known in the art to use small pots, for example pots made from plastic or polymer netting or sphagnum where growth media as well as the seed or cutting are placed inside the growth media in the pot.
These pots are traditionally made in a very large number where the pots have to fulfil certain requirements relating to its ability to drain off excess water, to allow air, especially oxygen, into the growth media and thereby stimulate the propagation of roots and thereby growth of the entire plant. The pots have to be cheap, relatively easy to handle and at the same time preferably biodegradable. At the same time it is desirable that the pot has further abilities—for example being able to maintain the growth media in a stable and secure manner, even during handling and overall stimulating the propagation of the plants starting from the seeds or cuttings.
Various prior art attempts to address these issues have been published, as for example EP 1 099 368 and WO2009/142714, which however do not facilitate cheap manufacture in combination which fast biodegradability/de-composition.
The same applicant's prior published application WO2013174386 likewise addresses these issues, and obtains very good results both with respect to biodegradability, permeability and stability, but includes a rather complicated production process in which the material from which the plant receptacles are formed is made from a co-extruded PLA thread which during the extrusion process is covered by an organic containing flexible aliphatic polyester. In addition to being relatively complicated to manufacture, the material is also not cheap.
In the terminology of the present invention cutting shall be understood as pieces of plant tissue which is cut off other plants and placed in the growth media in order to grow to be new plants.